Jameson76

Great. Now I have to budget for an orchestra to be on hand to play people off who drone on too long We go with Terry Tate - COH Linebacker

You just need a super cool cell phone Or be on the beach Or one in you car

Sad event again. We will have to observe this at the meeting on Monday night I remember in the summer of 2016 there was the Orlando nightclub shooting in June and we did the Half-Staff at summer camp for the week. Then in July that same summer we were at summer camp 2 and observed Half-Staff for the Police officers killed in Dallas.

No need to have a long recitations on events at meetings, that should be done in another format. Our longform COH runs about 1.5 hours, but we have dinner and the FOS presentation is done while everyone is eating. Keep it brief. Most run 45 minutes. The one after summers camp(s) runs long due to handing out 250 + merit badges and many rank advancements, but that is expected. For communications much better way than droning on We have the Troop Website, which details events, you can sign up for outings, etc etc The Troop website kicks out an e-mail every week which highlights the events and announcements updates within a week We have a Troop Facebook page where we post photos, updates, TBT photos, some announcements We have a troop instagram where we post photos and some announcements Agree. Scouts do the MC and banquet person works with them on a script. Leaders give out badges. We have a reminder on the next outing, typically reminder to sign up for summer camp (literally what was written is that sentence is the length of the announcment) and then SM minute Scouts run the program

So now you can be in Cub scouts for 6 years. We (at the troop) get numerous Webelos II's that are ready to move on, or also we get several scouts joining each year, got weary of the younger kids in the pack and redundancy of the program (fire station again??), so they dropped but now they are back. Guess it will work for some, but in a pack or program setting the interest and ability difference between a 5 year old and a 10 year old is pretty extreme

We were scheduled for the OA election a few weeks back. The rules (guidelines??) seem to state you need to have 50% +1 of the registered Scouts in attendance to have the election. Now we are a big troop with an active membership, so that night (by our math) we had about 40% - 42% of the scouts (they move around and it is hard to count). OA Guys start quoting paragraphs and rules about how to run an election. Honestly we were about to tell them, fine, take off. They wanted to come back another night, we said, hey go for it but it is a moving target. Our thoughts were, here is an organization within the BSA that, I suppose, wants to expand it's membership, yet has arcane rules and roadblocks to adding to that membership. We did have the election in the end. Why is there a 50% rule, seriously what does it matter? I was active in the OA back in the day was actually a Lodge advisor one time. Cannot recall this rule and wonder if it is some local thing to make themselves really "important"

They will put bling and sequins on hats, will be simple

For us they are sort of like a rare solar eclipse. They come by, introduce themselves, then we never see them again. As far as I can tell they have never directly contacted the SM, CC, or any adults. They have (and I have seen 2 visits in 10 years) only come by, stayed about 30 minutes, and we never hear from them again. We presume there is some sort of write up or report that is filed at the district, then filed at the council, then filed at regional, then filed at National. Sort of a vision of Soviet era paperwork being shuttled along and boxes checked. In theory commissioners are good, not sure in practicality if they actually do anything.

I don't think you can say cute...but I have not taken the recently updated YPT, so not 100% sure

Sort of looks like them FLYER - GIRL BEING INTERVIEWED ON CBS You don't mean (SHOCKED FACE) that the whole thing was STAGED!!!

Odd that literally everything matches but their shoes...no doubt an oversight

Good points We did not cook on the MLK trip. Stayed on the Alabama and got meals there. Then ate on the NAS base in Florida for some meals. Did the Battleship and camped on the NAS recreational area, all meals, free Naval museum, played on the beach, $50 per person. Scouts had to pay for their own lunch on the way there and back. If we had included mileage charges, would have more than doubled the cost Gifts in kind are your friend

No doubt they are already have.

How did you spend that much for Patriots Point? Curious did you charter a bus? We do one long trip each January. Good thing is leaders / parents that drive traditionally absorb the mileage. We did 900 plus miles with 13 cars on MLK this year., so I personally know the cost. More mileage to deduct I guess.

To be clear, at this point, Girls cannot join your troop nor in the immediate future would they. Yes that will no doubt be subject to change, but wanted to level set (and I know you were being dramatic) Agree 100%. I am amazed that the National BSA office and board made this momentous decision, and literally had no real workable implementation plan. Anyone who has spent any actual time at the unit level can come up with multiple scenarios that need to be resolved. Admittedly they may not have the answers yet, but the shallowness and lack of even acknowledging there may be questions is stunning. What she is saying is a challenge and concern. That being said there are in any endeavor minimum requirements. As long as the Scout meets the minimum, they have in fact met the requirements. I have conversations with Scouts and parents and try try try to remind some of them that Scouting is a journey and not so much a destination. Scouts need to enjoy the trip. Every outing is not about advancement. Sometimes we go to the lake to get towed behind boats and canoe around because it's fun, sometimes we hike in the rain because it is a personal challenge, sometimes we climb that mountain because (wait for it) it is there. (and we can spit off the ledge)

You gotta look those folks in the face and clearly state

It it is really large print and denotes Family Scouting If BSA National had only meant CUBS,then logically it would have said that. That which is not specifically excluded is assumed to be included

Spot on. Main message after the announcement from BSA National, Council pros, etc has been if you do not support the change, then maybe you were a "conditional" scout. So yes, that is the subtext of the message included within the change. We are doing this with you or without you

Yeah...that big giant FAMILY is not really clear what it applies to. We can infer and assume all we want but (as has been well noted) the message is a bit muddled. The decision was made to admit girls to the program, rather than sell that, let's sell families, everybody loves that!!

Been going downhill since they discontinued Blacksmithing, Stalking, and Taxidermy merit badges. Those were the ones that toughened them up.